Health Costs of Alternative and Nutritional Treatments for Cancer
You may be considering alternative health treatments for cancer, but may worry about how much is it likely to cost. Here in Britain, where we are used to the NHS footing the bill for most of our health costs, you will have to buy all your own vitamin and mineral supplements or medicine or whatever else you may need and also pay for your scans, and blood tests. The blood assays that nutritional doctors look at in relation to monitoring cancer are not available on the NHS - yet.
Having said that, some drugs that have been developed recently like herceptin are not available on the NHS to everyone either due to the high costs involved, but vitamin supplements and B17 tablets are far cheaper, and most alternative practitioners would agree that they are far more effective.
The NHS has not yet caught on to the fact that it would pay massive dividends to prescribe vitamins and minerals for most health problems instead of drugs. This would not only save massive amounts of public expenditure, but the overall health of the nation as well.
Some forward-looking GPs are starting to prescribe vitamin supplements for arthritis and other illnesses, but on the whole, they are not available across the board and I think it will be a long time before they do as a matter of course if ever.
On the other hand, the costs involved in alternatives are tiny compared to what people in the USA and other countries have to pay for medical treatment. To them alternative therapies save them a huge amount of money.
The Financial Cost of alternative treatments.Cost is all relative anyway. What some people consider too much may be perfectly reasonable for others. What I will say is that the initial cost of a consultation with an alternative therapist can range from £30 or so to £125 or more. Follow ups are cheaper sometimes half the cost and It is up to you how often you want to visit.
I used to go twice a year and now I only go once a year to the consultant in London, at the same time I have a scan to save having to travel there twice (I live over 200 miles away). However, If I am worried about anything in the meantime I consult a local naturopath , who sets my mind at rest.
It is hard to state exactly the cost of the supplements as it is reliant on how many you need, your state of health, and if you are very deficient in vitamins and minerals (most cancer patients are) An average figure in my experience would probably around £80-£100 per month. The blood tests can cost £220. And these I had twice a year (now only once) A thermograph in the Chiron Clinic in London cost £125.00 the last time I was there. Averaging the costs for bloods tests and scans twice a year is around £700 a year, a consultation with a Harley street specialist twice a year would be an additional £250, and then the cost of any supplements are on top of this on a monthly basis.
The costs YOU may incur of course, could be more or less than this figure. You certainly dont have to travel to London for a scan or pay over £100 for a consultation, but I just wanted to give you an estimate of your possible costs which you should be aware of if you opt for alternative treatments.
An Alternative and cheaper screening service is offered HERE
The total cost over the year could work out to an average of £35-40 on a weekly basis and I am sure that most people spend more than this on a night out. It is an unfortunate fact that treatments and supplements do not come cheap but if you consider that your health is invaluable then it is a price worth paying.
Initial health advice for someone newly diagnosed with cancer
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